Has anyone ever bought an unlocked phone online, not from a carrier, and
been able to get warranty service if needed?

Sonyericsson makes the best phones in my opinion.  Currently I have a k300i
which works great and does cool stuff.  But their customer service is
useless when you need information.

I called the number on the ericsson website to find out if Newegg, or anyone
else, was an "authorized dealer" so I would have a warranty if I bought a
k510i.  The same person told me all of the following at different points in
the conversation:
1. I should just ask the seller if they are authorized (doesn't sound
reassuring)
2. There is no way for me/them to determine if a seller is authorized (they
can't be serious?)
3. Only Sonyericsson directly or Cingular are authorized dealers (sounds
wrong AND it would answer the unanswerable question #2)

None of those three things sound right, and they certainly can't all be true
at once, yet the same person said them all within a few minutes, in that
order.  They suggested I call their sales line, which I did, and they
basically told me the same stuff.